Shadowhunters Love is a Devil Recap
Here we go gang, another week another intense episode so let’s dive right in to our Shadowhunters Love is a Devil recap!
Izzy is right where we left her. In an alleyway, outnumbered by vamps, jonesing for more vamp venom. Luckily Raphael swoops in and saves the day, ordering them to release Izzy. She is desperate and begs him to bite her. Raphael wants her to go cold turkey, saying it will be better in the long run, but eventually he relents and bites Izzy. Not before telling her this is a one time only deal though.
At the Jade Wolf Luke is PISSED. Clary and Jace have told him about Valentine’s plans for the Soul Sword and he is upset they didn’t tell him before. Then they tell him about the vision and the demon that could destroy the sword. Luke tells Jace to find the demon while he goes to track Valentine and Cleophas.
Alec and Izzy are at the Institute. Izzy brings up the subject of Magnus but before she can get anything juicy out of her big brother Max and Maryse arrive from Idris. They are back at the Institute because Max has completed his final trials and is ready to receive his first rune. Maryse asks alec to arrange the ceremonial party since Robert is tied up in Idris. Izzy is still pissed at Maryse for how she treated them all recently, especially Jace, and she storms off.
Max tells Alec he thought he would get away from fighting by leaving Idris. Apparently things are tense between Maryse and Robert and Max says they are fighting over Alec having a warlock boyfriend. Alec asks what Max thinks about it and he basically just shrugs. Nice one Max.
Alec goes to Magnus and asks him to host the ceremonial party. Magnus is reluctant due to Maryse’s dislike of him but Alec says that is the point. He wants to show his mother that what he has with Magnus isn’t going to go away.
Everyone’s least favourite warlock, Iris, is at a playpark with little Madzie when Valentine shows up. He’s less than impressed with the fact Iris was messing with Clary. His goons surround Madzie – it seems like he has a deal for Iris.
Simon meets up with Clary by the river and after some rambling he finally tells her he is in love with her.
Then he freaks out that he’s made it weird but she shuts him up with a kiss. Woah. Yeah. That just happened. Clary kissed Simon. I think I need to lie down in a darkened room for a while!
Alec shows Maryse the invitations for Max’s party and she is not impressed at Alec’s venue choice. Alec puts her in her place beautifully, ending by telling her to thank Magnus, not him, for the arrangements.
Jace is ploughing through demonology texts, looking for the one from his vision, and fending off Magnus’s cats. Plural. Magnus is a crazy cat Warlock. Although I guess there must be some affinity there, given his warlock mark after all. They get talking about Alec and Jace is uber protective of his brother (I live for the Lightwood siblings sticking up for each other).
There’s a very awkward moment – Magnus misinterprets the nature of the parabatai bond and thinks Jace knows they had sex because he could feel it – but they come to an understanding as neither of them want to see Alec get hurt in any way.
The party begins and Clary and Simon arrive together in suitably awkward yet kind of adorable fashion. Jace heads straight for the bar and into the wolf’s den – Maia is bar-tending. The pair finally patch up their differences and are almost on friendly terms when they spot Clary and Simon together.
Maia looks pretty bummed that Simon took her advice and Jace looks totally stunned. He wanders over to the couple and tells them they look cute together but you can tell his heart isn’t in it. Simon heads for the bar to get drinks for himself and Clary. He and Maia chat and then she goes on break…and he follows her. Clary leaves Jace and goes after Simon and Maia.
Magnus is with Alec, stressing about the arrangements until Alec tells him everything is perfect. Max and Maryse arrive and by the Angel is it awkward. Maryse offers Magnus a bottle of what looks like vodka because “Alec says you like to drink.” Oh help, this is painful. She comments on the Spanish theme of the party and Magnus replies that he chose the theme for her. Alec told him that she and Robert got engaged in Barcelona. She is mostly pissed that Alec has been telling Magnus things about their family but there’s something else. Anyone else getting the feeling that things are not all rosy in the Lightwood marriage?
Clary spies Maia and Simon out on the balcony…making out. She’s furious and heads for the exit but Simon catches her. He is worried that them getting together is a mistake as Clary will never understand what it’s like being a Downworlder. But Maia gets that. Clary is devastated and turns to leave but Magnus catches her. He won’t let her leave her friends at such an important occasion and promises to figure out what is going on.
Izzy is hanging around yet another alley and jumpy as hell when Raphael shows up. She needs more venom but he told her that it was a one time deal the last time. She is desperate as Maryse is in town and she isn’t strong enough to get through it without venom. Raphael refuses, Shadowhunter blood is more potent and after last time he can’t, but Izzy cuts herself and gives him a taste. He succumbs and bites her again.
Out on the balcony Magnus gives Max a gift. In return the little snot asks to see Magnus’s Warlock mark. Magnus obliges and then Max follows up by asking howe much of him is demon. Damn kid. Jace tells Max off and Max mouths off a little more. Alec tells him to apologise to his brother and Max snaps back that Jace isn’t his brother. That Maryse says he’s not even part of the family.
Understandably Jace bails. Maryse goes after him after Alec tells her she needs to make things right with him…and throws a FREAKING AXE AT HIS HEAD!
Jace knocks her out and looks totally freaked. Shit is starting to get really weird around here…did someone spike the Sangria?!
Raphael walks with Izzy to Magnus’s place and tries to persuade her to take off after the party and get clean.
He tells her how Magnus helped him when he first turned. She heads inside to the party, stopping to iratze away her bitemarks before she finally goes inside. Clary apologises to her for keeping her new rune ability a secret and then starts to ask her for advice. Izzy tells her she can’t deal right now and goes to find Max and Maryse. Clary sees Simon with Maia again acting all flirty and makes a beeline for the Downworld pair. Magnus thankfully steps in before she can make a scene and tells her this isn’t an episode of “Real Housewives of Idris.” She goes off about Simon hitting on Maia and Magnus turns round to see Simon…and RAJ? Okay, seriously now, what the hell is going on?
Across the hall Magnus sees Jace and Izzy slipping back into the room with Maryse’s prone body on the floor. He tells Clary to stay put and goes to figure out what is going on. Clary, naturally, doesn’t listen and heads for the door. Alec sees her and asks if she is leaving. She tells him she can’t possibly stay at the party with him there, walking around all relaxed and carefree, when he killed her mother.
In the other room Jace tells Magnus and Izzy what happened with the axe but it’s not there. Magnus wakes Maryse with magic and it quickly becomes clear that people are not hearing what others are actually saying. Someone is screwing with them, preying on their insecurities. No prizes for guessing who that might be then? They all hear Clary calling to Alec and rush outside. Alec is on the balcony ledge. Clary is pleading with him to come down but all he hears is her telling him how much she hates him for killing Jocelyn and how weak he is.
He jumps but thank Raziel Magnus is there and catches him with his magic and pulls him back to solid ground.
Magnus runs to get a spellbook to counter whatever is going on, leaving everyone else bickering on the balcony. He returns and casts the counter and finally they all snap out of it. Each one knows the truth, what was really going on thankfully. As Magnus slams his book closed it vanishes from his hands. He immediately goes on the defensive and throws up his wards, sealing everyone inside the party. He scans all the guests and can’t find another warlock so he drops the wards. Magnus then tells the gang that he must get the spellbook back, it contains the counters to every spell he has ever cast.
As he talks about the spells he realises who the culprit is. The red haired cat that was bugging Jace earlier. He puts the wards back up and the gang start to search for the cat. They find it hiding in Magnus’s bed and Magnus blasts it with a fireball, causing it to turn back into…yep…Iris. She stuns all the others but doesn’t get the drop on Magnus. They fight but she is no match for the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Especially not when he’s pissed that she ruined one of his parties and almost made his boyfriend jump off the roof!
Magnus binds Iris up in a magical web and she confesses she stole the book for Valentine as he has Madzie. Magnus dispatches her to the Clave but not before she calls on Clary to honour the blood oath and find Madzie. Everyone wants to know why Valentine would want the book so Clary tells them all about his plans for the sword and the need for an angel and her rune ability. Magnus explains that the very first Shadowhunters could communicate with the angel Raziel because they were made from his blood. Jace says that must be why Valentine wants Clary alive – pure angel blood to activate the sword.
In the aftermath of all this Simon tells Clary that the pending Downworld apocalypse just makes him realise he wants to spend every minute of every day with her. Not sure if that’s nerdily cute or kinda clingy…plus there’s that whole ‘can’t go out in sunlight’ issue to deal with.
Max’s rune ceremony takes place at the Institute. Three very proud Lightwood siblings watching as their little brother swears himself to the service of heaven and receives his Angelic rune.
Afterwards Jace promises to protect Clary from Valentine and what is coming. Maryse appears and Jace goes to talk to her, leaving Alec with Clary. She tells him that she doesn’t blame him for Jocelyn’s death.
Maryse tells Jace she is sorry, that she has never regretted taking him in. *sniffs* I’m not crying. There’s something in my eye…
Alec confronts Maryse about the fighting that Max has overheard. She tells him it’s nothing to do with him and Magnus. Alec asks if Robert is cheating on her and she breaks down. Jace and Alec are both furious on her behalf (and my heart may have just possibly softened towards Maryse a tiny little bit). Alec tells her she can stay at the Institute but she has to return to the Clave. Especially in light of what they now know about Clary, Valentine and the sword.
Speaking of Valentine – he’s still at the park with Madzie. He brings her an ice cream cone and tells her he’s sure she and Clary will get on really well… Which isn’t ominous at all.
Summary
Damn that was all manner of fun. Love is a Devil might just be my favourite episode of this season (apart from Parabatai Lost). A large part of that is down to the fact that the content was unique to the show. The events that transpired in this episode don’t ever happen in the books so they were playing their own game. And it worked. The fact that the entire episode was devoted to one single plot-line with everyone in the same place played a major part too. The last two episodes have felt disjointed and extremely rushed. This was much better.
Highlights – Maryse actually behaving like a human being towards her children AT LAST instead of the Robo-Mom she was turning into. Nicola Correia-Damude absolutely nailed her scenes, especially that final one with Dominic Sherwood and Matthew Daddario.
The episode wasn’t flawless though. I take issue with the Iris plot-point. She knows who she is going up against, Magnus Bane. Smart move would have been to go to him and tell him Valentine was threatening Madzie. Then watch Magnus go into action mode when Alec gets protective of Madzie. Job done. We did, however, get treated to Magnus Bane in full BAMF mode though, so I can’t be too mad.
Speaking of things feeling rushed – Malec. Come on show. you know exactly how invested in this ship a large part of the fandom is. Do it right. I said it in my review last week that going from first date one episode to sex the next felt wrong. This week Malec felt more like an old married couple – the kind that don’t even touch each other any more. Seriously. Fans feel majorly like they have been cheated and I have to agree. Show us their love. Don’t just tell us they love each other and expect us to buy it.
